Potentialities of Web 2.0 and new challenges for destinations: insights from Italy

Web 2.0 influences the relationship between supply and demand even in the tourism sector, forcing those who manage destinations (destination management organizations,DMOs) to review the ways in which they enhance a territory’s assets. As an exploratory contribution, this paper aims to answer two research questions: are the daily activities on social networks able to influence the marketing approach of DMOs, and in what ways and to what extent can the daily activities on social networks enhance the brand equity of destinations? This study aims to achieve this goal by analysing the digital marketing activities of one of the top Italian destinations (case study method). This paper shows that Web 2.0 offers many opportunities for value creation and promotion, but it also presents important challenges.